


I came to pick you up

by miloron (ocoa)



Category: Nu’est, Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Idol, M/M, This is a really risky story, abductions, im so sorry to everyone, police!Wanna One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-01-10 18:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12305097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ocoa/pseuds/miloron
Summary: Kim Jonghyun is abducted at 03:27AM. Detective Kang Daniel and his team are called in to investigate.





	1. The First 24 Hours

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry
> 
> (Please remember that this is a work of fiction.)
> 
>  
> 
> Hit me up with plot suggestions or anything at my [askFM page](https://ask.fm/bugiron) hoho

It was late, and a quick glance at the illuminated 03:27 on his watch confirms this, but Jonghyun never minded. It was a consequence, he supposed, when one was a dancer. He didn’t mind, he always loved dancing. It was exciting, sending adrenaline through his veins so fast he could still feel it in his toes even hours after he stopped. It was what kept a bounce in his step despite his exhaustion, and it was what makes him catch on to the change in rhythm of his footfalls. He froze, hands tightening around his bag. There it was again.

Someone was following him.

He grit his teeth, and swallowed before picking up his speed, but the footsteps only followed him, heavy boots crushing the fallen autumn leaves. Terror raced through his veins, and he broke into a run. He had to get somewhere, somewhere with more people, somewhere-

A hand pulled him back and slammed him against a wall, sending stars bursting in his vision. He gasped, the pain from his back branching out. His attacker smiled, his face unrecognisable in the darkness, the shadows tendrils that tightened in his throat. He knows this man, he realised, and he felt the burn of tears behind his eyes from the realisation. He knows the man, and he’s more terrified than ever.

“Why are you running, Jonghyun-hyung?” His assailant’s voice was sweet, tender and careful, and a hand traced his cheek, sickeningly warm. “It’s almost winter, you should wear more clothes. Your cheek is so cold.”

“Let me go,” Jonghyun managed, but the man’s hands only tighten onto his wrist and his body pushed Jonghyun closer to the wall. He can’t help the whimper that broke through the clamp his teeth had on his lower lip, almost tearing through skin from how hard he had bitten it. “Please...”

The man gasped, stepping back and letting Jonghyun breath easier without letting go. He grinned apologetically, “Sorry Hyung, I was too rough with you. Hold on, you’re injured, let me bring you back to my house and I’ll disinfect it for you.”

“No, no I’m fine, please just let me go-“

The edges of the man’s smile turn rigid, even as startlingly bright as it was. “I insist, Hyung.”

Jonghyun pulled away, knocking his head against the wall as a sob broke from his mouth. His pleading went unheard as the grip on his arm only tightened, and he’s yanked forward. He struggled, fighting the painful grip, and he almost broke away if not for the punch that was lobbed right at his face. Pain exploded from his face, and his vision sparked as he lands onto the floor. The man bent down, voice thickened with sadness and anguish.

“Oh Hyung, don’t do that! You shouldn’t have tried to run like that!”

He felt heavy hands pick him up, and his cheek bumped against the crook of the man’s neck. His vision darkened.

“Let’s go home, Hyung.”

* * *

Daniel stepped under the yellow tape, eyes still half closed in almost sleep. He had been up late, and it showed on his face. He blinked it away, Minhyun had messaged him saying they were interviewing the friends of the missing Kim Jonghyun, the closest to him in Seoul. Last he heard, Minhyun was in their group but Daniel trusted his professionalism and that he would be more of an asset than an emotional wreck. Minhyun was always good at that.

He was better than the rest of them. Their district was a small one, even in Seoul. They all knew everyone, and everyone knew Kim Jonghyun. They all knew that he was hardworking, and even when they weren’t particularly close to him, they knew he had a reason to move from Busan to Seoul. Everyone in their district had a past, it just so happened that Jonghyun had one of the darker ones.

Minhyun looked up from where he had been trying to comfort Choi Minki. Kang Dongho followed his gaze jerkily, restless and antsy. Daniel looked around.

“Aron-hyung is at the dorm.” Minhyun answered his unsaid question. Daniel hummed sympathetically, before bowing to the two. Dongho nodded back, suddenly more restrained, and Minki didn’t even notice him. Minhyun gave him a look, and nodded over to where Seongwoo was looking at the CCTV footage with the Pledis Dance Studio CEO and security guard.

Daniel walked there obediently.

Seongwoo looked up as he approached and gave a half hearted smile. He excused himself from the two, and walked to Daniel. “He was here until 3am practicing. The CEO told me it was for a competition going up.”

“So it’s possible that it’s a rival?”

Seongwoo shook his head. “Jonghyun...ssi didn’t join competitions often, and as far as Minhyun knows, this is the first he had in Seoul. But I did get Daehwi on the forums to see if anyone from the Busan or Gangwondo circles held a grudge.” There’s an edge of doubt in his voice though, and Daniel understood why. Kim Jonghyun wasn’t really one to get enemies. He was always that sort of person. Humble to a fault.

“Okay, keep running through the feed. Is Jinyoung already on the street cameras?”

“Yeah, he’s looking at them now. But Jonghyun-ssi most likely was abducted on the way home. Jinyoung’s trying to find exactly where.” Daniel nodded slowly.

“Who’s at his room?”

“Jaehwan and Jisung-hyung,” at Daniel’s imploring look, Seongwoo gave a tight smile. “Yeah I know. That’s why we sent Jisung-hyung with him. Minhyun had to be here,” he dropped his voice, “for Minki and Dongho.”

They glanced at said officer, whose worry was obvious on his face. Minki stopped crying already, but they could see how his hands shook and fidgeted. Dongho had taken to pacing, hands clasped around his phone, before he looked up and stared at Daniel in the eyes.

Daniel quickly looked away, but he could still feel the piercing gaze on him. Then just like that it faded, and Daniel relaxed. Seongwoo sighed. “Don’t take it to heart, he’s on edge.”

Daniel’s smile was wry. “We all are.”

* * *

The clock ticked, and Jaehwan’s hands were starting to flick off the the count against his thigh. At the table, Aron was too quiet, hands clasped in an almost prayer, his lips pursed. The dorm was surprisingly big, and really more of an apartment, not what they would expect from the salaries of four 23 year olds and one 25 year old. They were all fairly well known within the district. Aron, though, was the one Jaehwan wasn’t as close to. That idea was both comforting and more awkward. He was never really known for being sensitive of course.

So he left Jisung to his job of interrogating Aron and Woojin set up the phone to wait for the ransom call, before Jaehwan went into the rooms to search through them. The first door was Aron’s, and the next was shared between Minhyun and Dongho, so Jaehwan skipped right to the last one. He slipped on gloves, and looked through the books and papers scattered on the table.

He remembered Minhyun’s words right before he left, when the older officer had pulled him back by the shoulder and dropped his voice to make sure only he heard. “Jonghyun has a diary that he hides somewhere in his room. If this was premeditated, he might have noticed something. Find it, but don’t say a word about it.” He glanced back at the other officers. He took in a breath, saying slowly and even more softly. “Not even to our colleagues.”

That had left him slightly off kilter, but there must have been a reason for Minhyun, who was always calm and collected, to be so harried. He knew Minhyun. This was how he usually acted.

So he flipped through the books.

And then he saw it.

It was unassuming, a tattered A5 notebook left inconspicuously between a romance novel and a crime thriller. Jaehwan flipped it open, tongue reaching out to lick at his lips.

He froze, eyes widening at the words he read.

And suddenly everything fell into place.

* * *

When Daniel first moved to Seoul, his colleagues threw a welcome party. To celebrate the new Head Officer. “You should have seen the last one,” Seongwoo joked. “He kept trying to get rid of Jihoon and almost made Daehwi admin.” Jihoon flipped the bird at Seongwoo then, while still chewing on the fries that they got.

It was wild, and Daniel enjoyed it, but he always wanted something more. He was searching for something.

Look at him now, still searching. It was just that he was paid for it.

He almost laughs at the irony, but he was working and no one in the office would like it if he laughed right now. Everyone was high strung from the case. It had been nearly half a day, and time was running out. Jinyoung already downed maybe 5 cans of red bull and was basically buzzing on his seat as he flicked through several hours of security footage. They couldn’t even confirm where Jonghyun was taken.

His chest twisted and tightened.

“The issue,” Jinyoung said, voice straining from trying to stay at a normal volume, “is that the area has too many blind spots. Jihoon-hyung’s already down with Guanlin and Sungwoon-hyung to investigate the area. As far as I can tell, Daehwi’s not too big on the rival’s theory.”

Daniel snorted, anyone can tell Daehwi’s lack of progress when he’s across the room screaming every seven minutes out of frustration. “Do you have any theories?”

Jinyoung sighed. “There’s no ransom call, no letters challenging us, and they didn’t even tell the hyungs to not call us. It’s suspicious, and obviously not the cliche kidnapping.”

“What are you saying?”

“Whoever it was, he doesn’t want money.” Daniel blinked, teeth biting onto his lower lip. Jinyoung continued, eyes still focused on the screen. “If he doesn’t contact anyone, it’s either he’s being arrogant and thinks he’s better than us, or,” Jinyoung paused, eyebrows furrowing.

“Or?”

“Or he never wanted to let Jonghyun go.” Another voice said. They looked up. It was Seongwoo. Sweat matted his hair to his forehead, and his coat was rumpled from the run he presumably took to the office. “I found something on the security feed.”

Daniel nodded. “Call everyone, meeting now.”

* * *

The security feed was blurred, an uncommon sight for most of their footage, but they could all see the familiar form of Kim Jonghyun dancing. Daniel, from where he was leaning against the wall, could see Minhyun’s hand clench. He was more shaken than Daniel realised. Seongwoo paused the video.

“Look here.” He pointed to the windows of the practice room. “Can you see it?”

“A figure.” Woojin muttered.

Seongwoo nodded. “This feed was from a week before. I have been scrolling past several weeks of footage and this figure has been there in almost three weeks worth of security footage. And on days where Jonghyun doesn’t stay late,” he flipped to the next video, where the figure seemed to walk away. “He doesn’t stay either.”

The silence was palpable.

Jihoon coughed, “Jonghyun-hyung hasn’t had any exes right?”

Minhyun shook his head. “He’s too shy for that. He’s not well known in any particular circle either.”

There was something that he was hiding, Daniel knew, but kept quiet. Minhyun knew when something needed to be on the table. If he kept quiet, it meant it wasn’t important for them to know. So Daniel turned to his team.

“Daehwi, I need you to sharpen that image of the security feed. Jinyoung run through the footage for the streets again, look out for the guy again.” The two nodded and skittered off. “Jaehwan did you find anything at the dorm?”

Jaehwan shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Okay, then everyone else, go to the streets heading towards the dorm. Split up and we’ll comb the area for anything the stalker might have dropped or left behind that could tell us where Jonghyun-hyung was carried away.”

The team left, but Daniel stopped Minhyun. He stared the older man right in the eye, narrowing it. “Minhyun, if you know anything that Jonghyun-Hyung could have told you, if he’s noticed anything...”

Minhyun nodded. “I’ll let everyone know.” He left quickly, pulling his coat off his chair as he caught up to Jaehwan.

Daniel sighed.

“Boss, you coming?” Seongwoo’s voice called. He looked up, before nodding.

“Yeah, let me just,” he opened his phone, and Seongwoo’s eyes widened when he saw the wallpaper, even when Daniel closed it, realising.

“You...”

Daniel pursed his lips together. Seongwoo’s eyes softened as he patted Daniel on the back. “We’ll find him.”

Daniel nodded. “I know. I’ll make sure of that.”

Seongwoo grinned and together they left the office.

* * *

_When Daniel still lived in Busan during high school, he was a big fan of a particular series. A story about a smart detective who took any means possible to find his dead lover, who scoured the earth to find her. Maybe it was a coincidence that he met Jonghyun at the bookstore while checking out that book. He only remembers passing the book over to the cashier._

_“Oh you read Minakura too?” A soft voice asks. He looked up, and saw a lean man, with a bright grin and eyes that shone with excitement._

_“Oh uh,” he stumbled, “Yeah, this is my favourite book. Just managed to save enough to get it.”_

_The man, whose name-tag read JR, nodded sagely. “Well nothing really beats the physical copy. What do you like about Koi the most though?”_

_Daniel grinned, “the plot twist.”_

_JR grinned, “definitely one of the best.”_

_And that was how they became friends, and how Daniel started to fall for him._

* * *

The first 24 hours pass with no updates. Minhyun returned home to see his dorm mates all clustered in the living room, staring blankly at the television. It’s too quiet, when Dongho and Minki aren’t fighting, or when Aron is so restrained. Jonghyun’s absence makes itself known, and it reads its ugly head.

“I’m home.” He said, and Aron looked up. Minhyun gave a wry smile, but it doesn’t sit well on his face when it clashed with the fear in his chest. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Aron shook his head, fingers curling to comb through Minki’s hair. Minhyun threw off his coat and quickly changed into his pyjamas before clambering beside his friends. The apartment was too big when there were only 4 of them.

“I told Jaehwan, by the way.” There wasn’t a response so Minhyun continues. “He read the diary, took it with him. He lied to the others and said he didn’t find anything. We can trust him.”

Minki shook his head. It was the first time he had reacted since the last breakdown. “If you trust him,” he whispered. “We trust him too.”

“We’ll find him.” Aron said, “I’ll make sure of that. Make sure to get that asshole to jail.”

“Did you manage to find out who it was though?”

Minhyun shook his head. “Jonghyun didn’t give much hints other than the name. Do we really know if he’s one of the policemen?”

“It isn’t a common name after all.” Aron sighed. “And you saw how Jonghyun reacted when they visited the dance studio with you.”

“Why didn’t he talk to us...” Minhyun sighed, and Dongho pulled him closer. “Seongwoo found footage of him lurking outside the studio for weeks, Jonghyun must have known something.”

“I guess he was scared. He just recovered recently too.” They all paused, knowing the aftereffects of something like this.

“We’ll find him.” Aron repeated. “We have to.”

But only silence answered him, dead, tired, and indefinitely there.

* * *

Jonghyun was sleeping, still under the influence of the drug, tucked up to his chin with Daniel’s duvet. Daniel can’t help but smile, running a hand through the older’s hair. He had promised Seongwoo that no matter what they’ll find Jonghyun, but that never meant he would let him go.

He pressed his lips to Jonghyun temple and rested his head against Jonghyun’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. The feeling of love welled so deeply in his chest that he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Jonghyun would belong to him, forever.


	2. The Second 24 Hours

Aron sighed as he leaned back, dried eyes hurting when he finally closes them to rest. On the desk beside him, names and dates are chicken scratched into the notepad. His eyebrows scrunch together, and he wonders how much Minhyun and the others would believe him. He grit his teeth, the result of 20 hours of research in his hand. He needed to get this to Minhyun, fast. He pulled out his phone and instinctively scrolled to where he knew Minhyun’s number was.

The clock blared a sinister red, the 5:52AM only serving to count down the hours he had left.

It has been 27 hours since Jonghyun had been kidnapped. In that time, he could already be dead. Aron shook his head, gritting his teeth. 

Finally the phone gets through.

“I found something. I’m gonna send a picture of it to you.”

He waited for Minhyun, the only indication he finished reading the sharp inhale that passed statically through the line.

_“...Are you sure?”_

“Yeah.”

_“I’ll investigate it with Jaehwan. Stay safe.”_

Aron grinned, as always Minhyun was a worrier.

“You too.”

The phone shut off with a click.

* * *

 Daniel frowned when Jisung runs the headcount with him the moment he enters and Minhyun and Jaehwan were missing. “They’re going to Busan,” Woojin informed them, “apparently his contact gave him a time sensitive lead so he left with Jaehwan first.”

Daniel bit back the flash of irritation.

“But why Busan? Jonghyun-hyung didn’t live there for a particularly long time...”

Woojin shrugged, returning to his computer, ever helpful. How helpful.

“I didn’t know you were that close to Jonghyun though,” Jisung murmured. “He’s usually quite private about his life before Seoul.”

Daniel blinked before laughing slightly. “Minhyun-hyung told me about it before.”

The lie goes smoothly, and Jisung leaves to run through Jonghyun’s phone, which they found tossed near where they had hypothesised he was abducted. Daniel shrugged off the urge to touch it, to run the phone again if only for a reminder. It’s what Jisung catches, what Daniel ensures he catches, that Jonghyun’s phone hadn’t had any group pictures with Minhyun, Minki, Dongho and Aron. Only him.

“So it’s a crime of passion,” Jihoon concludes, eyes narrowing at the projection of the phone’s contents that Jisung put on, “our stalker didn’t like seeing Jonghyun with other people and deleted the photos. Maybe he’s trying to say something.”

Daniel pursed his lips, ignoring the flash of irritation at the tone the younger officer takes. His voice comes out stable, pulled taut from restraint. “What else did Eunki pull up from the deleted files?”

“Messages, calls made to the station and I ran some checks. Nothing, no location, not even a proper time stamp, since his number was jumbled up with every call.” Sungwoon leant back, rubbing his face. “I think the phone’s corrupted. Or the unsub did something to it.”

Daniel stifled the bubbling in his stomach at seeing his colleagues’ frustration. He hides the ecstasy carefully, standing up and taking his gun and badge. “I’m going out to ask around the houses again. Someone get into contact with Minhyun or Jaehwan, have them forward whatever their contact told them.”

Seongwoo stood, “Let me hel-“

Daniel shook his head, fighting the urge to glare at Seongwoo. “No, I just...” he looked away, “need some time alone. Please, Hyung?”

Seongwoo hesitated, but nodded slowly.

Daniel gives a grin, and he lets a sliver of excitement through. His smile stays vaguely present through his drive. He opened the door of the cell and grins at Jonghyun who stares back at him with poorly disguised joy.

He’s happy to see Daniel, and Daniel was happy to see him.

“Jonghyun-hyung, I’m home.” He murmurs, pressing his lips to Jonghyun’s temple. His lover squirms at the affection, pulling at the restraints on his arms and legs, as if trying to reach toward him. Daniel shushed him, wiping his thumb across the tears that escapes Jonghyun’s eyes. “It’s okay Hyung,” he coos, “I’ll never let you go. I love you Hyung.”

Jonghyun freezes when Daniel pulls him into an embrace. Jonghyun is awkward, stiff as a board, and Daniel’s heart warms with adoration for his shyness.

“I know,” he says, palm holding Jonghyun’s jaw chasing when Jonghyun turns away. “I know you love me too.”

He smiles, and Jonghyun’s eyes shine with unshed tears of utter joy.

* * *

Minhyun stares at the bookstore, the picture in his hands crushed. An unfamiliar emotion spread within him, something he soon recognises. He was livid, and every cell in his body shook. Jaehwan himself didn’t look too great either, as if something he hesitated to believe was confirmed. He supposed it has been. Jaehwan and he slide into the car, Minhyun pulling out his phone, ignoring the missed calls and texts from the rest of his colleagues to call Seongwoo.

_“Hello?”_

“Where’s Daniel?”

_“Dan..? He went looking for Jonghyun-“_

“Where, Seongwoo?”

_“Minhyun, what’s going on? What did you-“_

“He’s the kidnapper Ong! Daniel kidnapped Jonghyun.”

There was silence.

_“That’s impossible.”_

Minhyun closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. Seongwoo continued.

_“Daniel loves Jonghyun, he wouldn’t- he...”_

Seongwoo’s voice trailed away. His voice came back strangled, shaking.

_“How do you know?”_

“Daniel used to stay in Busan, same time as when Jonghyun stayed for a while, under a different name. He used to find Jonghyun at the bookstore he worked at every day, and even followed him home. Where is he, Seongwoo?”

The line was silent, before it came back in a whispered voice.

_“Daniel’s phone lock screen, it’s one of Jonghyun at a bookstore. One that I don’t think is from our district.”_

Minhyun tightened his grip on his phone. He scrubbed at his face, frustrated at Seongwoo for not telling him, frustrated at Jaehwan for not driving faster, frustrated at himself that he let this happen to Jonghyun.

“Where is he?”

_“He didn’t say where he was going, just that he was going to check the houses.”_

“He lives near the residential areas. Jaehwan and I’ll meet you guys there.”

_“Wait, Min-”_

Minhyun shut the phone, eyes closed as the memory resurfaced.

_Minhyun invited his colleagues one day to the dance studio that he practised at once upon a time. He wanted to introduce them to his friends, to the dance crew that slowly became his family over the years that they’ve performed together. Dongho and Minki as expected get along with the other 10 quickly, and Aron disappeared with Jonghyun somewhere so fast than Minhyun doesn’t realise until his phone buzzes with a text._

_From: Aronge_  
Kitchhn  
Someyings wring w j

_Minhyun frowns, before running out and seeing Jonghyun shaking against the kitchen wall, fingernails scratching into his scalp. “Please, stop, leave, leave me alone,” he whimpered, eyes wide and faraway with an unseen terror._

_Minhyun stares at his friend. He’s never been like this, not even the years before when everyone would ignore their performances, when their dance instructor told them that it would be better to just end the group and start anew. Never._

_He leaned down, pulling Jonghyun’s hands from his scalp. “Jonghyunnie, look at me. It’s me, Minhyun. Can you hear me?”_

_Jonghyun’s panic attack doesn’t end for another 15 minutes. Minhyun keeps Jonghyun’s fingers flat on the floor, pulling them away from hurting himself, confused but trying to keep a calm facade for Jonghyun._

_When Jonghyun calms, he shakes his head when they asked what happened. He looks tired. “It’s nothing, just a bad memory.”_

_He trials off after that, and excuses himself from the party and according to Aron who follows him, went home. They don’t talk about it, not when even mentioning the night makes Jonghyun pale._

Now it hits him what it was and he wonders what kind of fucked up universe would have Jonghyun’s disappearance be investigated by the very person who took him. The evening sun glared at him, blaming him with its red gleams that make his eyes squint at the brightness.

He felt useless. He felt stupid. How could he do that to his best friend?

Jaehwan sped up the car even more, his eyes drifting to the clock ever so often.

* * *

Jonghyun loses count of the hours he spends. From what he can tell through whatever awareness he has left from the haze of hysteria and panic that builds up in him, Daniel had only left a few times. Now he was back, curled around him, looking shockingly peaceful despite the fact that the handcuffs cut into Jonghyun’s wrists from how much he had been trying to get out.

Daniel stirred, and Jonghyun froze. Even when the policeman settles back into a slumber, Jonghyun doesn’t dare move.

His limbs shake, quivering with the memories. He tried to forget, but now they just kept coming back.

It was normal, at first. Jonghyun just started working at a Busan bookstore after he moved. Daniel was a customer, that was all.

Until Jonghyun thought that he maybe was a friend.

_“Hey Hyung, you want some coffee?” Daniel grinned, raising his extra cup. Jonghyun looked up, before shrugging and accepting the drink. He ignored the staring as he sipped it, trying to school his face away from a look of disgust. There’s a reason why he wasn’t an actor though and Euigeon deflates._

_“Don’t like coffee?”_

_Even as Jonghyun hesitated to answer, Euigeon sighed and took the cup from him. “It’s ok,” he said, grinning, “I’ll get you hot chocolate or something next time!”_

_And before Jonghyun can say that he didn’t want a next time, didn’t want to keep owing him, Euigeon waves goodbye and disappears. Next time, Jonghyun promises himself._

_The next time it was the next day, and the next, and the next, until Euigeon switches it up by coming at night when his shift ends, making offers for dinner that Jonghyun just barely manages to refuse. Then he walked home with Jonghyun, and as much as he hints for Euigeon to leave him, the younger boy doesn’t ever. Euigeon has a look in his eye that scares Jonghyun, an edge of crazy that has him tighten the grip on the edge of his shirt and try to walk faster hoping to lose him. (His hopes don’t pan out. Euigeon only follows him.)_

_“Hey, I actually want to go home alone today... is that okay?” Jonghyun tries one day._

_“Oh okay, Hyung, I’ll see you in the morning then!”_

_When Jonghyun goes to his shift at the store, Euigeon is there._

_Euigeon was always there._

_When he gets home that night there’s something different. A cup of hot chocolate on his dining table, with a note._

_“I hope you enjoy it <3 - E”_

_That night Jonghyun learns what fear was, and what hopelessness was. The police don’t help, they laugh at him. “Just take the drink, you sure you’re not dating him?” they say._

_Jonghyun does what he does best, and packs up and leaves._

_He makes sure no one knows to where._

And yet he was still found, he was still found and his wrists and knees hurt and he can’t run anymore because he can’t even muster the energy to move, to keep moving, to keep moving on. Now he was stuck in Kang Euigeon’s room.

Daniel smiled as he stirred.

“Slept well?” His hand reaches too close, too much, and Jonghyun flinches back. A look of anguish passes over Daniel’s face, before it morphs to anger. “Why do you keep doing this?”

A hand sharply grabs Jonghyun’s head, pushing him into the pillows, so hard the breath gets knocked out of him.

“You left without a word last time, and now you won’t even talk to me.”

His voice is even, cold and empty. Jonghyun pushes back, tries to gasp for breath but all he gets is the smell of laundry and the taste of cloth.

“Why do you keep shutting me out, Hyung? I love you, I’ve treated you so well, you should love me-“

Jonghyun thrashes, but Euigeon holds him down, he’s screaming words that Jonghyun can barely hear. Tears burn in his eyes, cries tear out of his throat, his lungs heave with effort-

“Why don’t you _want_ me?”

Jonghyun closes his eyes tight, the whispered words brushing like sand in the half conscious recesses of his mind, nausea building from the desire to breathe.

He starts to cry.

There’s a frightening moment when he’s just held in place, and the tears just continue to fall, and he feels like his lungs are burning. The weight on top of him relents and he sucks in a breath, head dizzied from too much and too little air.

His wrists have mottled blue and purple bruises. Jonghyun curled into himself.

Jonghyun wants to leave, he wants to go home, he wants to stop, he wants to stop running, he wants to stop running when it has never done any good.

“I’m so sorry Hyung.”

Daniel reached forward, and pulled Jonghyun into a caress. His apologies fall like the tears in Jonghyun’s eyes as he lays limp. Jonghyun doesn’t realise, tasting bile in his mouth, and feels the curl of discomfort on his skin.

“I’m sorry Hyung, I love you, I shouldn’t have hurt you, what have I done-“

In the distance, the doorbell rings.

Daniel’s hands tighten around him, and there’s a breath of a curse. He stands, laying Jonghyun down and wiping the tears from Jonghyun’s eyes.

“I have to go see who that is.” Daniel say mechanically. He smiles.

The door closes, and the sound of the door clicking into place is a sharp strike through Jonghyun’s chest.

* * *

 Seongwoo never wanted to doubt Daniel.

Never wanted to think of the potential that his colleague and friend would do this.

Never wanted to arrest someone he knew.

But in a small district like theirs, you knew everyone.

(Or so you thought.)

When Daniel let him in, there’s a gut feeling in him that he wants to pass off as anger at Daniel abandoning his duty to go home, that he was just irresponsible, that Daniel did not kidnap Jonghyun.

He holds on to that interpretation, desperate for something other than what Minhyun told him.

“I thought you said you were walking around.”

“I had to come home for something.”

It made sense, if it wasn’t for how rumpled Daniel’s uniform was on one side, how his hair was flattened on the same side, how he walked too carefully, like he was scared that he would act out in some way.

“You sure you weren’t just sleeping?” Seongwoo jokes half heartedly, “we wouldn’t get mad, I don’t think you went to sleep at all. I think the maknaes were talking about drugging you.”

No response.

Daniel walks back, a cup of water in his hands. He passes it to Seongwoo, who leaves it on the table. He just wasn’t thirsty, that’s all.

“Hey, you came from Busan right?”

Daniel looked up, “Yeah?”

“You know, I heard that there were a lot of bookstores in Busan.”

“Hmm. First I heard.”

Seongwoo’s chest tightened as the silence held.

“Can I see your lock screen again?” He blurts out, desperation creeping into his tone. “I’m curious.”

Daniel shrugs, passing him the phone. Seongwoo switches it on, and there’s no doubt about it. It’s Jonghyun, at the bookstore. He doesn’t even look like he knew there was a camera.

“So how long did you like him?”

“Quite a while,” Daniel answered with a fond smile. “What’s with the sudden interview about my love life? Jonghyun-hyung doesn’t even want to talk to me most of the time.”

Seongwoo’s heart clenches, souring. “Did...did you know he lived in Busan before too?”

“Yeah? So did Woojin, so did Minhyun-hyung, so what?”

“Nah, I just wondered if you would have met him before.”

Daniel stops, his face eerily steady as he smiled at Seongwoo. Seongwoo’s own smile turns frigid. Something cold and heavy settles in his gut.

“Daniel...” Seongwoo says, voice strangled and whispered. “Where is he?”

Daniel’s smile doesn’t budge. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The Daniel in front of him is a stranger. He doesn’t know the terror he feels, the building of nausea that bubbles in his chest.

He slowly nods, before standing. “Yeah, sorry, I think I mistook something. I’ll see you at the office? Go...get some rest first.”

Daniel nodded, before he stood to show Seongwoo out. But just as he left Seongwoo stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“We’ll find Jonghyun,” Seongwoo said, voice steady as he stared at Daniel in the eye, “and we’ll bring him home.”

Daniel frowned, before nodding. “Yeah I know.”

Then Seongwoo left.

He walked out to the street and crossed by the familiar paths, a scene he found familiar with the amount of times he had gone to Daniel’s house, a consequence of having stayed too long to take the train home, or just having hung out with him. Seongwoo didn’t want to think that Daniel was the kind of man who would do this. But.. his mind thinks.

But.

He turned around on the street he was in, and broke into a run. As he did, he felt himself pull out his phone, and call the only person he thought could help. The dial tone fell away.

“Jisung-hyung,” Seongwoo starts.

* * *

Daniel curled his fingers into Jonghyun’s hair, face impassive and empty. Jonghyun fell asleep, after Daniel punched him with a needle of a sleeping agent. He looked vulnerable like this, a stark difference from the man he remembers in his memories, the soft smile that never leaves his face when he’s surrounded by cases of books. He settles back, the warmth of Jonghyun’s body over his legs more comforting than the empty words of the world around him. This was enough, he thinks, contented. To have Jonghyun was all he ever wanted and needed. And now he was Daniel’s, and would forever be.

This was enough.

* * *

Jihoon picked the lock carefully, deft finger working through the metal. He knows, remembers what Seongwoo briefed them, and even when Seongwoo knows that they don’t believe that Daniel could be the kidnapper, they believe Seongwoo and Minhyun.

Seongwoo’s hands twitched. He slid his gun out of its holster, and when the door clicks open and Jihoon looks at them, they creep in carefully.

It makes Seongwoo’s skin crawl to see how absolutely normal Daniel’s house was, knowing what he did, what he might have done. They broke off into their pairs, each going ahead with Jisung taking charge as he usually did, gesturing for them to move accordingly. Seongwoo crept along the hallway. The last room was only the last one with a closed door, so when he opened it, he has an inkling what he’s going to see.

Daniel smiles, barely even registering the gun that Seongwoo has pointed at him. “Hey Hyung. Nice to see you again so soon.”

Jonghyun wasn’t there.

“Where is he?” Seongwoo snarled. Daniel gave a breathy laugh.

“Safe.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“And yet, you won’t kill me either,” Daniel grinned. “Because as long as you don’t know where he is, you can’t do a thing.”

“I know that your place has only one exit. He’s somewhere in this house. You aren’t as protected as you like to think.”

Daniel leaned back against the headboard.

“Am I?” He have a short bark of a laugh, bordering hysterical. “Because Seongwoo-hyung, you and the rest of them, have one of the biggest weaknesses. You’re kind, the type of kind that makes you wonder, how much time do you really have? And can you really waste it talking to little ol’ me?”

Daniel cackled, and the words sink in realisation.

“You-,” Seongwoo grit his teeth. “Jisung,” the other policeman stiffened, head snapping to him, “tell...tell the rest that Daniel buried him somewhere in his backyard.”

His voice came out strangled, but his gun stays centred on Daniel. Jisung says something, but Seongwoo doesn’t hear him over the roar of anger in his blood, instead he only realises Jisung left when he hears the running footsteps fade away.

Daniel and Seongwoo stare at each other, and Seongwoo tries not to remember the young trainee with a toothy smile, who cracks jokes to make the rest of them relax during tense investigations-

Who kidnapped a person and didn’t even have the conscience to stay away from the investigation.

“Why?” Seongwoo manages, “was it fun to see us try to find him?”

Daniel smiled, and Seongwoo realises with a jolt it’s the first time he shows any sort of emotion the whole time they were there. “Jonghyun is everything. He’s always been everything. He gave my life meaning. He’s had me bound to him since the moment I met him.” His voice takes a tender tone, “I’ve loved him since all those years ago. I’ve lost him once. I won’t lose him again. Not anymore.”

Seongwoo steps forward, and the movement doesn’t stop until he has Daniel’s hands behind his back and is locking handcuffs onto him with practised ease. Daniel keeps talking, the words speeding up and turning into slurred babble.

“You won’t take him away from me. You can’t take him away from me. He’s mine. He belongs to me, forever. Jonghyun-hyung, Jonghyun-hyung, I love you, I love you, I love you-”

“Shut up.” Seongwoo growled, but the words are setting in, casting doubt on his thoughts. Jisung hasn’t come back yet.

Were they too late?

“Hyung!” Guanlin grabbed him, and the words their youngest says makes the blood leave his face. His voice is strangled.

“Call Minhyun.”

* * *

Minhyun is out of the car even before Jaehwan brakes it, stumbling out into a run. By the time he gets to the hospital, Minki and Dongho are already there. Minki pulls Minhyun into a tight hug, maybe he knows it’s the only way Minhyun could hold himself together.

“Aron-hyung is contacting Jonghyun’s parents.” Dongho explains, and Minki lets him go only to grab his hand and hold onto it so tightly their hands shook. When Aron comes, he pats Minhyun’s back.

They cling onto each other, a whispered prayer of hope shared between them.

The light over the surgery room doors blink off.

The doors open.

* * *

To anyone uninvolved, the sound might have just been background noise.

But to Minki, each beep was flinchingly loud. It seemed to send waves through his body, rolling through his limbs and features in a vibrating motion. Dongho schooled his features into an impassive mask, but Minki is quick to stand beside him, prompting him to slump into Minki’s side. Dongho wasn’t good with hospitals.

Still, it was a relief for them all, that there was a sound at all.

Minki doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that Daniel ensured that the drugs he administered to Jonghyun would be just enough to remain a safe dosage. He would punch the guy if he could, but he was in a holding cell.

Minki sighs, long and tired. Minhyun and Aron were curled into each other, but still, their bodies were angled towards Jonghyun, ready to catch any possible movement even as they slowly dozed off with hilarious synchronicity.

Minki slowly let his eyes trail back to Jonghyun. He had bruises and marks all over him, looking frighteningly familiar to the boy Minki met so long ago in an empty hallway. He shook off the horrible memory, and instead curled his hands into Jonghyun’s. It was warm, but more comforting than what could be attributed to the heat.

“Welcome home, Jonghyunnie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am back :’) 
> 
> Well this story was certainly a ride. Sorry that the Wanna One characters and Minki/Dongho have so little screentime but, well, okay I have no excuses I just can’t write a lot of characters at once. 
> 
> This is a really long chapter, so thank you for keeping up with this. Originally I was planning to have Minhyun be the one to talk to Daniel, but I realised, Busan is a 3 hour drive away from Seoul and that’s not feasible, nor does it show the severity of the issue. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it. To those that read my fics often, look forward to a Red Strings AU, and a Space AU, if I manage to write that out. Thank you for reading to this point, it makes me happy whenever anyone reads my fics. 
> 
> (Also thank you everyone for leaving kudos on all my stories. Apparently at some point some of them crossed 50 kudos, and wow that, that is a number. Didn’t expect it. So thank you, and I hope you’ll continue reading more of my fics :D)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I made it pretty obvious honestly. 2nd instalment well I would see if i can get it done next week, I just wanted to post something today since I felt really antsy. 
> 
> Also, yes I know Jisung is the leader, but it’s just easier for Daniel to manipulate evidence if he’s in charge so take it as a authorial Liberty like what I did with Seoul’s law system. 
> 
> Hahaha yeahhhh this has been something I wanted to write in a while honestly, so I’m both scared and excited to see where it would go. I also wanted to train myself to write longer so here’s nearly 3000 words. Btw I’m framing the timing to be a 48 hour thing, since after 48 hours, the chances of a missing person being found and being alive actually drops. So yeah.


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